A plate of coconut shrimp served with dipping sauce

If you’re craving something crispy, juicy, and just a little bit tropical, coconut shrimp is the answer. This irresistible appetizer (or even main dish!) features succulent shrimp coated in a golden, crunchy shell of shredded coconut and panko breadcrumbs. Paired with a tangy-sweet dipping sauce, it’s the kind of dish that instantly transports you to a beachside paradise.

Dipping coconut shrimp into dipping sauce

Why this recipe

Coconut shrimp is a tricky dish to make. Because shredded coconut and shrimp are both smooth, it’s quite hard to create a coating that actually adheres to the shrimp. The coconut coating is also tricky to cook. Deep frying creates too many bubbles, because coconut oil will release from the coating during cooking. And baking doesn’t fully recreate the extra crispy texture. 

This recipe:

  • Uses a cornstarch and egg mixture that helps to coat the shrimp better.
  • It dredges the shrimp in the egg mixture and the coconut coating twice, ensuring a thick and even coating that yields a crispy crunchy texture once cooked. 
  • The homemade sauce uses plenty of fresh aromatics and less sugar, to create a balanced and complex flavor.

Plus, you can reheat these shrimp in the air fryer or oven and they’ll remain crispy. They look impressive and are a crowd pleaser—perfect for parties, game day, or just a Friday night dinner when you want to treat yourself.

Homemade coconut shrimp served with dipping sauce

How to make coconut shrimp

Mix the sauce

  1. Cook the water, sugar, garlic, ginger and bird’s eye chili until boiling. Pour in the lime juice and fish sauce.
  2. Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.

You should always prepare the sauce before cooking the shrimp, so the sauce has time to cool off. 

How to make the dipping sauce

Coat the shrimp

  1. Add a few shrimp to the beaten eggs and cornstarch mixture.
  2. Transfer the shrimp into the coconut and panko mixture, holding the shrimp tail to flip it.
  3. Transfer the shrimp to the egg mixture again.
  4. Coat the shrimp with coconut mixture again, using your hands to gently press the coating onto the shrimp.
How to double dredge the shrimp

Pan fry the shrimp

You want to use a generous amount of oil to pan fry the shrimp, so I always prefer to use a medium-sized pan and fry the shrimp in batches.

When frying the shrimp, it’s important to keep the oil temperature on the lower end. If the oil temperature is too high, the sugar from the coconut coating will burn easily. Coconut oil will also seep out from the coating, creating a lot of bubbles if the oil temperature is too high. 

Even if some coating falls off the shrimp when you’re handling them, that’s totally fine! The majority of the coating will stay on the shrimp to create an ideal crispy texture.

How to cook coconut shrimp

Leave shrimp tails on or off?

Leaving the shrimp tails unpeeled makes coating the shrimp easier, since you can use your hand to grab the tail when handling the shrimp. However, it’s also totally OK to use fully peeled shrimp. I personally like it this way so I don’t have to worry about removing the tail when eating the shrimp later. 

Can I bake or air fry coconut shrimp?

Yes you can, although I highly recommend the pan frying method since it produces a nicer texture. 

Generously spray the shrimp with oil. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes or air fry at 350°F (176°C) for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through and spraying again with oil.

A plate of coconut shrimp close up

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This coconut shrimp recipe uses a double dredge method to create a coating that sticks to the shrimp, yielding a crispy result. It also includes a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that tastes so much better than the store-bought type. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Coconut Shrimp

By Maggie Zhu
4.67 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Print
This coconut shrimp recipe uses a double dredge method to create a coating that sticks to the shrimp, yielding a crispy result. It also includes a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that tastes so much better than the store-bought type. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb shrimp , peeled and deveined
  • 2 cups coconut , dessicated
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sweet and Spicy Sauce

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 ” ginger , minced
  • 4 birds eye chilis , seeds removed and thinly sliced
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • Marinate the shrimp: Mix the shrimp with the salt and baking soda. Marinate in the fridge while preparing other ingredients.
  • To make the sauce: Combine 1/4 cup of water, sugar, garlic cloves, ginger and chilis in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until brought to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lime juice and fish sauce. Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water to create a slurry, and add to the sauce pot. Stir immediately to thicken the sauce. Once thickened, transfer the sauce to a small bowl.
  • To coat the shrimp: Dry the shrimp thoroughly with paper towels. Toss the desiccated coconut with the panko in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in a separate bowl. Dip the shrimp in the beaten egg mixture and coat evenly. Toss in the coconut breadcrumb mix. Repeat this process again, to double dredge. This creates a thick, even coating that crisps better when fried. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
  • Cook the shrimp: Heat the oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat until hot. Turn to medium heat. Fry the shrimp in batches without overlapping, ensuring the pan isn’t overloaded. Try to maintain a medium oil temperature, since coconut oil will start seeping out of the coating and bubbling. A high oil temperature can also burn the coating easily, due to the sugar content in the coconut coating. Fry the shrimp for approximately 1 and a half minutes per side, until just turning golden. Then place the shrimp on a tray lined with paper towels.
  • To serve: Serve the shrimp hot with the dipping sauce as an appetizer.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. To make this dish gluten-free: use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
  2. To reheat: reheat in a 400°F (200°C) oven or air fry at 350°F (176°C) until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 293kcal, Carbohydrates: 15.5g, Protein: 20.6g, Fat: 11.8g, Saturated Fat: 8.2g, Cholesterol: 214mg, Sodium: 440mg, Potassium: 208mg, Fiber: 0.9g, Sugar: 6.9g, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 1mg

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